The present invention relates to eyeglass holders and, in particular, safety glass holders, sunglass holders and clear eyeglass holders adapted to secure to a hat or clothing of a user.
Safety is a paramount issue in refineries and chemical plants, oil field rig sites or other industrial sites. Most plants require their employees to wear safety glasses during work time, particularly if they are outside of a building. Problems have developed in where to put safety glasses, when not in use, while keeping them handy for instantaneous use. The present invention has been created to save the eyes and health of the many refinery and chemical plant workers, other heavy industry workers and also has use in the recreational sports area.
Millions of people wear eyeglasses and sunglasses everyday. However, many of them remove their eyeglasses during the course of the day for various reasons, when they come inside from the sun, when they enter a tunnel, or come into a dark place. In some cases, individuals remove their eyeglasses to perform other activities because they need glasses only to read, and not see distance. In each case, the user requires a place to hold or store the eyeglasses when they are not used.
While safety glasses are very bulky and difficult to store, normal sunglass cases are commonly available, as are chains or strings, which move about the head or neck of a user and hold the eyeglasses when they are removed from the user""s head. As chains are fully functional to store or hold eyeglasses when not in use, they frequently suffer from practical or aesthetic shortcomings that limit their use. Also, glasses of any sort worn by a rope or chain around the neck present a choking hazard from the rope or chain as well as a puncture hazard into the persons body should they fall on or press hard against the glasses hanging about their neck during a sporting or work activity. Safety glasses are usually too heavy to be supported by such strings particularly of the safety glasses are prescription glasses. Various improvisations may be made to hold and support eyeglasses when not in use, though they frequently suffer from an inability to secure the glasses, or are aesthetically undesirable to trendy users.
The present invention addresses these and other deficiencies associated with the problems of holding safety glasses on an employee""s person yet keeping the glasses really handy for instantaneous use in case of a chemical excursion or other problems, which does not enable an employee time to get the glasses out of a case or other container. In addition, the present invention provides a strong support, which is trending for contemporary eye glass and sunglass users. The present invention provides two versions of a device for securing eyeglasses against dislodgment by an active user, while providing an aesthetically pleasing construction that can appear as an ornamental feature for a hat or article of clothing.
When in use, the construction of the present invention allows the glass holder to serve its intended function, without detracting from the appearance of the hat to which it is attached. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an eyeglass holder which, when in use, distributes the load of the glasses over a broader area of a hat to avoid or mitigate the eyeglasses from weighting the hat in an unbalanced manner.
These and other advantages of the invention are described in more detail below in conjunction with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention.
A safety glasses or similar eye glass holder is disclosed for personal use which is attachable to an individual""s hat or an article of fabric, or clothing, for supporting and securing a pair of safety glasses, sun glasses or similar eye glasses. The holder preferably comprises a clip or fastener having one of two fundamental designs, which is engageable with a hat or fabric or an article of clothing. The holder extends from the hat and is in one version is removably affixed to the hat, and in another version is permanently affixed to the hat. In each case, the holders engage the arm of the safety or eyeglasses.
The eye glass fastener, for the removable version designed for supporting and securing a pair of safety glasses, sunglasses or similar eyeglasses is designed specifically for attachment to an individuals safety hat. The clip is preferably formed as a substantially planar circular, rectangular or triangular member, with a curvature similar to that of the safety hat and fabricated of resilient plastic material or lightweight metal alloy, a composite, a laminate or combinations thereof. The current design is manufactured through a xe2x80x9ctwo shot injection moldedxe2x80x9d process that provides both grip and pressure resilience to hold the eyeglasses between the clip and the safety hat. The fastener has a thickness of approximately one-third inch. In the presently preferred embodiment the clip formed to have a height of approximately one and one half to two inches long and is preferably one and one half to two inches long.
Either of the two versions of the eye glass fastener may be formed from plastic, a light weight metal alloy or be a laminated material and which has a thickness of between about 0.01 to about 0.5 inches. In a preferred embodiment the fasteners are made from material that is approximately 0.05 inches thick or thicker.